Events at PVSC

Social & Companion Program


Dear PVSC Companions and Attendees,

After many years as a social program attendee it is our pleasure to introduce the PVSC-46 Social Program to you.

Did you know Chicago is home to .......

  • An estimated 2.7M residents in more than 100 neighbourhoods
  • Over 5,195 restaurants
  • More than 250 theatres, 225 music venues and 200 dance companies
  • 56 museums
  • Over 700 public art works
  • More than 125 art galleries and 20 neighbourhood art centres
  • 26 miles of lakefront with an 18.5-mile lakefront path
  • 8,100 acres of green space with 580 parks and 26 beaches
  • 5 citywide music festivals, nearly 50 neighbourhood music festivals and 35 neighbourhood food festivals
  • Approximately 369 landmarks and 46 historic districts
  • Over 225 miles of bike lanes and more than 13,000 bike racks
Narrowing this down to create a program for our week in Chicago has been fun. We look forward to sharing our discoveries with you.

Register as a companion now.

Your Companion Registration offers you access to our companion breakfast room Monday through Thursday, to all conference coffee breaks, and to the Monday evening Welcome Reception. It also enables you to book onto our optional tours and events.

Welcome to Chicago.

Best wishes,

Ann Marie Creighton
PVSC Companions Chair
[email protected]

Celeste Raffaelle
Deputy Social Chair


 

Monday, June 17

Companion Breakfast (8:00 - 9:00 AM)
This event is included with Companion Registration. Join us in the Companion breakfast room for a continental breakfast before starting out your day. This is a great place to meet other companions and make new friends.


Companion Tour #1 Exploring Our Hood – Walking Tour (9:30 - 11:30 AM)
The purpose of this tour is to orient us to the neighbourhood around our conference hotel, the Sheraton Grand, and to give us an introduction to Chicago. We will be guided by Chicago Greeters who are passionate about their city and who are happy to share their local knowledge with us. We will learn a little about the city's beginnings on the river, its rebirth after the Great Fire and its development into a commercial and cultural hub and much more, all while exploring the area where we will be staying this week. Each Greeter group will have a maximum of 6 people.

Pace: Easy
Duration: 2 Hours
Cost per person: Adults – Free / Children – Free
Registration for this event is essential in order to schedule greeters.


Companion Tour #2 - Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise aboard Chicago's "First Lady"(1:00 - 3:30 PM)
The Architecture Foundation River Cruise is a must. Chicago Architecture Foundation trained docents interpret more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River for us. We will find out how Chicago grew from a small settlement into one of the world’s largest cities in less than 100 years. In 90 minutes, get the real story on Chicago architecture and its history. Our boat features open-air upper decks, full-service bars, climate-controlled lower cabins and upscale marble and granite restrooms. Being on-board will be an unforgettable experience (My 4th time and I always enjoy it). After the tour we will be able to visit the Chicago Architecture Centre and exhibition at our leisure. The newly opened Centre is located close to the dock.

We will meet in the lobby of the Sheraton Grand and stroll from there to the dock to pick up our cruise. (5-10 mins at an easy pace)

Duration: Hours 2 hours 30 mins
Cost per person: Adults - $40 / Infants under 3 - $30 On or Before 13th May 2019 Cost per person: Adults - $55 / Infants under 3 - $40 After 13th May 2019


Exhibitors Reception (5:30 PM - 7:00 PM)
This event is included with Companion Registration.

Tuesday, June 18

Companion Breakfast (8:00 - 9:00 AM)
This event is included with Companion Registration. Join us in the Companion breakfast room for a continental breakfast before starting out your day. This is a great place to meet other companions and make new friends.


Companion Tour #3 - Highlights of the Chicago Art Institute Docent Tour (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
* Free to explore the Art Institute after the docent tour at your leisure until 17:00.

As on of the country’s largest art museums, The Art Institute of Chicago is a must-see for visitors of all ages. From the world renowned French Impressionist collection to American art favourites like Grant Wood’s American Gothic and from ancient treasures from across the globe to modern masterpieces by Dali, Matisse and Picasso, the museum has something for everyone – art experts and new museum goers alike.
We will meet in the lobby of the Sheraton Grand and stroll from there to the Art Institute. (20 mins at an easy pace)

Duration: 2 Hours to full day
Cost per person: Adults - $40/Children up to 13 years old - $10

Wednesday, June 19

Companion Breakfast (8:00 - 9:00 AM)
This event is included with Companion Registration. Join us in the Companion breakfast room for a continental breakfast before starting out your day. This is a great place to meet other companions and make new friends.


Companion Tour #4 - Lakefront Neighborhoods Bike Tour (12:30 - 4:30 PM)
The trip begins at our Bike Hike headquarters where we will meet our guide and pick up our ready-to-ride bicycles. There are bikes to suit all ages and sizes. After an introduction to Chicago’s epic history, we head out into the beautiful downtown district of Streeterville. Home to many of Chicago’s most beloved institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the John Hancock Center. The tour then rolls past the Magnificent Mile shopping strip into the historic Gold Coast neighborhood. Chicago’s highest rent district since the 1870s and home to some of the most beautiful Victorian homes in the United States. From there it is into leafy Lincoln Park, the city’s largest municipal green space. Old Town is up next, the neighborhood that inspired the creation of this tour. Here you can get up close and personal with the local culture experience. Its quiet, tree-lined streets are rarely traversed by bus tours, despite the rich history that the area boasts. From there the tour travels back into Lincoln Park to see the world-famous (and free!) Lincoln Park Zoo, before heading east all the way to the clear-blue shores of Lake Michigan.You’ll get to experience the beaches that define this sandy, summer-loving town up close and personal. North Avenue and Oak Street beaches can be packed with up to 300,000 Chicagoans on a warm Saturday in July! Then we ride back to base along the beautiful, paved Lakefront Trail.

Pace: Easy
Duration: 3-4 hours
Cost per person: Adults - $55/ Children under 12 $30
Child seats and child tag-a-long free.

Thursday, June 20

Companion Breakfast (8:00 - 9:00 AM)
This event is included with Companion Registration. Join us in the Companion breakfast room for a continental breakfast before starting out your day. This is a great place to meet other companions and make new friends.


Conference Banquet - Tastes of Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry (6:30 - 11:00 PM)
The museum of Science and Industry, the largest science museum in the USA, one unlike any you have ever seen awaits your presence for our conference banquet. A variety of hands-on, dynamic activities and exhibits will be on offer for guests of all ages. Explore a makeshift coalmine, control a 40-foot indoor tornado, or display your own pulse on a larger-than-life 3D model of a heart. Each exhibit is better than the next and allows you to become part of the action.


All of this plus the opportunity to “Taste Chicago” as you enjoy a night of conversation, fun and relaxation with your family and colleagues. Top off your dinner with a visit to Finnegan’s ice cream parlour and build your own dessert extravaganza.

Cost:
$80 (adults/children 13 and older)
$40 (children 12 and under)

Duration: 3.5 Hours
Transportation: By bus from the Sheraton Grand is included.